cannabisnews.com: Colorado, Washington Await Feds' Response
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Colorado, Washington Await Feds' Response
Posted by CN Staff on November 09, 2012 at 19:31:19 PT
By The Associated Press
Source: Associated Press
Denver -- Should marijuana be treated like alcohol? Or should it remain in the same legal category as heroin and the most dangerous drugs? Votes this week by Colorado and Washington to allow adult marijuana possession have prompted what could be a turning point in the nation's conflicted and confusing war on drugs.Colorado's governor and attorney general spoke by phone Friday with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, with no signal whether the U.S. Justice Department would sue to block the marijuana measures. Both states are holding off on plans to regulate and tax the drug while waiting to see whether the Justice Department would assert federal authority over drug law.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in Washington's largest counties dropped all pending misdemeanor cases of marijuana possession Friday in response to that state's vote to legalize the drug.The Obama administration has largely turned a blind eye to the 17 states that currently flout federal drug law by allowing people with certain medical conditions to use pot, something that is banned under federal law.A spokesman for Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said during Friday's talks, state officials asked Holder for the federal government's response to the marijuana vote but didn't get one.The Colorado officials "emphasized the need for the federal government to articulate what its position will be. ... Everyone shared a sense of urgency and agreed to continue talking about the issue," spokesman Eric Brown wrote in an email. No date for further talks was announced, he said.Hickenlooper opposed the ballot measure and has downplayed the likelihood of a commercial marijuana market materializing in Colorado. "If it's still illegal under federal law, I can't imagine that 7-Eleven is ever going to sell it," he said earlier this week.Denver prosecutors are still reviewing pending marijuana possession cases in Colorado's largest city, and Denver City Attorney Doug Friednash said it was too soon to say whether small possession cases would be tossed.But Friednash said the marijuana vote "obviously creates an issue with respect with even obtaining favorable verdicts in these cases."In Washington state, a spokesman for Gov. Chris Gregoire said this week that Gregoire would respect the will of the people."We are entering uncharted waters and many questions lie ahead as we work to implement this law," said spokesman Cory Curtis. "Because marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, we are unsure how the federal government will proceed."Earlier this week, Justice Department spokeswoman Nanda Chitre said enforcement of the federal Controlled Substances Act remained unchanged."In enacting the Controlled Substances Act, Congress determined that marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance," Chitre said. "We are reviewing the ballot initiative and have no additional comment at this time."Chitre declined to comment after Holder spoke with the Colorado officials.If Colorado's marijuana ballot measure is not blocked, it would take effect by Jan. 5, the deadline for the governor to add the amendment to the state constitution. The measure allows adults to possess up to an ounce of marijuana, and six marijuana plants, though public use of the drug and driving while intoxicated are prohibited.Colorado's measure also directs lawmakers to write regulations on how pot can be sold, with commercial sales possible by 2014.In Washington state, marijuana possession of an ounce or less would become legal on Dec. 6 if the measure is not blocked, though setting up a state-run sales operation would take a year.Marijuana business owners gathered in Denver for a two-day conference cheered the votes — but kept a close eye on their smartphones for word of a federal response.Denver attorney Robert Corry told the crowd at the National Marijuana Business Conference that President Barack Obama sent a signal about marijuana when he made a record number of campaign visits to the battleground state this year and never talked about the marijuana vote."Silence equals consent. The time for the federal government to talk about marijuana legalization is over. The election has passed," Corry said to applause from the crowd. "Marijuana got 50,000 more votes than Obama on Tuesday. Don't think they didn't notice that."But Corry quickly added that the federal marijuana approach will ultimately decide the question."Let's face it: the federal government is a fearsome force. They have the guns, they have the jails, they have the power," he said.Source: Associated Press (Wire)Published: November 9, 2012Copyright: 2012 The Associated PressCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help
Comment #68 posted by Had Enough on November 14, 2012 at 10:30:42 PT
Such is the same…
With the ‘Empire of Prohibition’…
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #67 posted by Had Enough on November 14, 2012 at 10:22:33 PT
and..to add….
The empires eventually all fall for those reasons…The only differences is in the complexity of the details…And the ‘beat’ goes on…
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #66 posted by Had Enough on November 14, 2012 at 10:09:23 PT
The Empire(s)
Hitler’s empire fell for the same reasons all the other so called ‘Great Empires’ fell…Greed …abuse of authoritative power…and just plain ole’ spread out too thin in their quest to ‘Rule the World’…History keeps repeating itself over and over again…************"Everybody Wants To Rule The World" - ORIGINAL VIDEOhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST86JM1RPl0
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Comment #65 posted by runruff on November 14, 2012 at 07:12:55 PT
Kapt, a historian?
I am glad to hear this. I too am a historian and what do all historians do when they meet? Disagree.I believe that the war for Germany was lost a Stalingrad and the cap was Kursk. I appreciate your assessment of the tuning of the tide in North Africa. Poor Rommel just ran out of fuel, ordinance and men.Hitler's interference in strategy planning was also a big factor.The social lesson here is, how long can a modern government perpetuate a lie in today's age of information?
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Comment #64 posted by afterburner on November 13, 2012 at 23:04:29 PT
International Persuasion
With Pot Legal in Two US States, Latin American Leaders Call for Review of International Drug Policy.
By Kristen Gwynne, AlterNet.
November 12, 2012.
Leaders form Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Belize are wondering what marijuana legalization in WA and CO means for the region. READ MORE»
http://www.alternet.org/pot-legal-two-us-states-latin-american-leaders-call-review-international-drug-policy?akid=9677.313040.rhxvq_&rd=1&src=newsletter743582&t=15
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Comment #63 posted by kaptinemo on November 13, 2012 at 17:49:45 PT:
Historical parallels: El Alamein
Regulars here know I'm an ersatz historian. What Hope said about battles to come led me to recall something:The Battle of El Alamein was where, after a long string of victories, the seemingly unstoppable Nazi onslaught was first decisively beaten, and led to the eventual surrender of Nazi forces in North Africa. There were many, many battles after that, and more than few setbacks for the Allies, but it was at El Alamein that the tide turned.Last Tuesday was reform's El Alamein; for the longest time our opposition had had a free hand in every area. Not anymore. Their smug, arrogant demeanor has brought them to this point; last Tuesday, they received a stinging defeat, and now are more than a little worried about what to do next. I'll save them some time and suggest they surrender, now. They'll have to, eventually.Because after we win...there must be a reckoning, so that government never, EVER does anything like this again. How that reckoning proceeds depends upon those who have already visited so much misery and bloodshed on their own people. If they make matters worse now, it will not go well for them later. And, as to how bad it could get, I suggest that they look up Shakespeare's Henry V, with Henry's speech before the gates of Harfleur if they want an idea of how so many of us would like to repay them.
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Comment #62 posted by Hope on November 13, 2012 at 12:50:45 PT
That's the truth!
These votes are the beginning of the end of the injustice that is cannabis prohibition.And man.... what a relief it is. I know we have so many battles to go... but man... this is important and it's so good. I'm so thankful. I'm so encouraged. My wagon was draggin'. Big time. I feel better now. My wagon is hitting on all four and new wheels to boot!Racin'!
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Comment #61 posted by BGreen on November 13, 2012 at 12:43:41 PT
Thanks, Hope
After last Tuesday how could I not be happy? :)Bud
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Comment #60 posted by Hope on November 13, 2012 at 12:32:02 PT
Happy Birthday, Bud!
Don't worry!Be happy!
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Comment #59 posted by BGreen on November 13, 2012 at 11:47:39 PT
It's my 50th birthday!
Heck, I haven't trusted myself for 20 years and no, I'm not too old, it really is too loud. LOLI'm feeling sort of depressed knowing that almost half of my life is already over.Bud
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Comment #58 posted by BGreen on November 13, 2012 at 09:33:17 PT
Yes, I'd enjoy myself immensely
How do we convince them that they would enjoy it, too?Bud
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Comment #57 posted by Hope on November 13, 2012 at 09:10:55 PT
Right on, BGreen...
Sounds like an informal, unorganized invitation. Think you might enjoy a little jam session with those two?I'd just love to see the look on everyone's face if they joined us. Especially FoM's.
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Comment #56 posted by BGreen on November 13, 2012 at 08:24:02 PT
Heck yeah we'll play
But if Bob, Neil or Willie wants to jam with us that's cool, too. We're not snobs, you know.Bud
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Comment #55 posted by Hope on November 13, 2012 at 08:14:11 PT
I have been to the lower altitudes
of Colorado with no problems. I've had friends and family members struck with altitude sickness though... so I'm leery of it. It sounds very bad. Maybe a slow week to work my way up to Denver. Hey... there are happy trails to be found on the way to Denver... or there will be.
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Comment #54 posted by Hope on November 13, 2012 at 08:10:55 PT
Plans
I'm still not sure the Feds won't build a wall around Colorado and Washington State and have checkpoints at the border.Or threaten them with disaster.But I love what's been done so far.:0) I do have a good imagination, FoM. We'll have our resident musicians, BGreen, Museman, and more, that can certainly sing our songs, too.
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Comment #53 posted by BGreen on November 13, 2012 at 05:52:01 PT
Lower altitude = Bottom of the mountain
Some problems are easy to solve, Hope. LOLWe can congregate somewhere just over the state line. Legal is legal. :)Bud
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Comment #52 posted by Hope on November 12, 2012 at 20:22:20 PT
A good article.
What Tuesday's Marijuana Victories Mean For The War On Drugshttp://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/11/07/what-tuesdays-marijuana-victories-mean-for-the-war-on-drugs/
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Comment #51 posted by FoM on November 12, 2012 at 19:33:38 PT
Hope
You have a great imagination. That would be wonderful.
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Comment #50 posted by Hope on November 12, 2012 at 19:10:10 PT
Yes.
They are more than singers and more than poets. They are wonderful composers and marvelous entertainers... and more.I wish they could come to our big meet when we have it. Wouldn't that be something?Lol! We are an unorganized organization of reformers. Young and Dylan can certainly sing our songs.If we ever do get around to a time for organizing a meet... maybe we can invite them in some unorganized way!I kind of wish we could have it at a lower altitude someday. Is there any way to avoid altitude sickness? I fear it, somewhat. And no ice might be nice for those who don't care to race across the snow and ice on slick boards.
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Comment #49 posted by FoM on November 12, 2012 at 18:38:50 PT
Hope
Yup! Neil sounded a little tipsy! LOL! I alway see in my minds eye the sun rising over the hood ornament. Neil and Bob Dylan sure have a way with words.
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Comment #48 posted by Hope on November 12, 2012 at 18:19:09 PT
I can imagine he and Dylan
singing that song together. In Texas that was the leading song for shutting down the honky tonks at closing time for a very long time, it seems like.
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Comment #47 posted by Hope on November 12, 2012 at 18:16:36 PT
It's the 1975 recording... and it's rough.
It's a bit boozy sounding. I'd like to have heard the version he sang at the recent concert.I guess it sounds boozy to me because some club I used to go to in the olden, clubbing days played it every night at closing time, except I think they sang "Pour" another number for the road.Yeah! It sounded like a bad idea even then. Roll another number is better and "SAFER"!Yeah, Colorado! Yeah, Washington state!
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Comment #46 posted by FoM on November 12, 2012 at 16:04:04 PT
Hope
This is the best recording I could find. 2 of the concert we saw of Neil Youngs the encore song was this one. What a great song to end a great concert.This doesn't do it justice but live it was great.Roll Another Number: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6aXlqPMEXk
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Comment #45 posted by FoM on November 12, 2012 at 15:54:14 PT
Hope
When he sang that song at the concert the place roared with applause.
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Comment #44 posted by Hope on November 12, 2012 at 15:37:41 PT
Twisted Road
I love it. "Let the good times roll.""Poetry rolling off his tongue
Like Hank Williams chewing bubble gum
Asking me 'how does it feel'?"Lol!
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Comment #43 posted by Hope on November 12, 2012 at 14:18:19 PT
:0)
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School Study Confirms Cannabis Science's Approach to Development of CS-TATI-1 to Inhibit Kaposi SarcomaCannabidiol Inhibits Growth and Induces Programmed Cell Death in Kaposi Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus-Infected EndotheliumRead more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/12/4979574/beth-israel-deaconess-medical.html#storylink=cpyAnyone know about the mad prohibitionist that camps out at the Bee? Linda? Wonder what she thinks of such as this? I'm sure she just says, like that other prohibitionist, Andrea Barthwell, that "raw cannabis is not medicine". Well I wonder if she would be satisfied to admit that it's just good for you then?Remember when we started venturing that, "Hey... it seems to me like this stuff might be good for you"? Beneficial even?Sometimes. For some people. Or words to that effect. I wish I could remember who it was that said here one time that the first time they smoked any cannabis, they knew that it was "Holy".Wow. I've never forgotten that. (And I've forgotten a lot of stuff. Especially since chemo.) I thought it was stunningly beautiful and simple, but I can't remember who said it.But I heard it at the News.
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Comment #42 posted by FoM on November 12, 2012 at 13:44:21 PT
Twisted Road By Neil Young
We've been on a twisted road for years so I thought this was a good song to post.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCbEOT4PTDc
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Comment #41 posted by Hope on November 12, 2012 at 13:13:08 PT
Like I said... walking with... or maybe I should
say "Standing with heroes". C-News has been an experience. So many things. A news site. A place to learn. A place to talk with dedicated and knowledgeable reformers. A soap box. A well of courage and strength. A sanctuary in a storm. I've always felt honored to have been welcomed into the C-News conversation. And thankful to its creator and diligent "Staff"... lol... and to the guy that has supported her and encouraged her through it all.
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Comment #40 posted by FoM on November 12, 2012 at 12:13:49 PT
Proud
I'm so proud of all of you.
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Comment #39 posted by FoM on November 12, 2012 at 12:12:55 PT
BGreen
I turned on Fox News the night of the election after Obama was named the winner and Carl Rove was saying no. It was just too much to take. I turned the channel.
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Comment #38 posted by The GCW on November 12, 2012 at 11:47:16 PT
Sam Adams,
ASKs, "Is it too soon to talk about a CNews celebratory gathering in Colorado?"My only fear is that people will forget or not know how to inform Me of when and where...Words can not express how honored I Am to be part of this group of activists.Congratulations,But We have only begun to fight.
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Comment #37 posted by BGreen on November 12, 2012 at 11:10:37 PT
That sounds cool, Sam
I've never been too keen on breaking one of the two arms I need for my guitar playing so I don't dig the winter sports thing but CO is one helluva beautiful place to visit. I mean, wow!The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #36 posted by Sam Adams on November 12, 2012 at 10:57:29 PT
CNews and winning
Is it too soon to talk about a CNews celebratory gathering in Colorado? I'm already planning a trip in the spring, when the bad weather will be over for cross-country trips. I'm so proud of not only the people here at Cnews, but also the fact that America is back in the lead position on marijuana legalization! Not Holland, not Spain, not Canada, etc. Although I certainly like all those countries!
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Comment #34 posted by BGreen on November 12, 2012 at 08:57:51 PT
I tried to watch a little FOX news last week
I have it blocked out of my TV but I thought it would be fun to watch them fall apart. I was quickly overcome by the shear hatred emanating from my TV. Basically, we're stupid, dark people are stupid, Obama suppressed the vote and the only problem the Republicans have involves messaging. They just haven't effectively conveyed their message.The one thing I did hear a lot of was blaming idiots like Todd "Legitimate Rape" Akins, the loser of the MO senate race. Imagine how I feel hearing FOX news trash a Republican for being more right wing than them that 2/3 of my county voted for?These people around here are complete lunatics!The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #33 posted by FoM on November 12, 2012 at 08:44:52 PT
BGreen
I think people might have voted for Gary Johnson if they were in a for sure blue or red state. I like his marijuana stance but his other political views don't seem right for me personally.
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Comment #32 posted by FoM on November 12, 2012 at 08:41:26 PT
BGreen
I don't watch Fox News but I bet they are spinning this somehow to attack Obama. MSNBC is just talking about it. Hopefully this will be over soon and we will be able to get back to our issue.
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Comment #31 posted by BGreen on November 12, 2012 at 08:40:43 PT
Obama now leads popular vote by 3.3 milllion
In an ironic coincidence, Gary Johnson has a vote count of 1,191,420. No kidding.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #30 posted by BGreen on November 12, 2012 at 08:19:35 PT
Exactly, FoM
I remember a few years ago when some people criticized Petraeus for his Bush war strategies by calling him "Betrayus." Those critics were called childish at the time. Sometimes even childishness can end up being truthful.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #29 posted by FoM on November 12, 2012 at 07:40:56 PT
BGreen
I find this new story a total distraction from all the things that are important. People on the right really want to continue to find fault with Obama. Petraeus was hand picked by Bush and now they want to blame Obama but I don't know what for? It makes no sense to me.
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on November 12, 2012 at 07:32:41 PT
Afterburner, Happy Birthday Neil Young!
You might see me down in Alabama Or Baton Rouge down in Louisiana I might make it up to Detroit City Where people work hard and life is gritty It don't really matter where I am It's what I do, it's what I can This old world has been good to me So I try to give back and I want to be free
I was born in Ontario I was born in Ontario, Ontario, Ontario, Ontariohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1woTG_DaTuw
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Comment #27 posted by BGreen on November 12, 2012 at 07:18:23 PT
The President Has His Hands Full
dealing with yet another man who demanded perfection from others while being unable to keep himself from destroying the trust of his wife and family by not keeping his pants zipped up.It's not their actions that piss me off as much as their pious self-righteous hypocrisy.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #26 posted by afterburner on November 12, 2012 at 06:36:24 PT
Yes, It's Today
Happy Birthday Neil Young!
http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2012/11/happy-birthday-neil-young.html
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Comment #25 posted by FoM on November 12, 2012 at 06:24:39 PT
Watching and Waiting
I hope today we hear something on what will be done about the legalization of marijuana in Washington and Colorado. I know we would be in serious trouble if Romney had won.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #24 posted by fight_4_freedom on November 12, 2012 at 03:18:39 PT
Right RunRuff
I consider all of you family...i may not visit for months at a time if really busy with work, but I always make sure to check in and say hi. This is by far my favorite cannabis site due to the fact that I've been here so long and I do feel like We're a true family here. And over the years, together, We've witnessed changed. Not only witnessed it, but have been apart of it all over out different areas of the U.S. No better place than C-News...Together We're changing the world!
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Comment #23 posted by Had Enough on November 11, 2012 at 21:28:52 PT
Ya thinkin’ the same…???
Not sure…too early to tell….but I think the Feds might have just blinked…or getting ready to anyway… :)“”Colorado's governor and attorney general spoke by phone Friday with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, with no signal whether the U.S. Justice Department would sue to block the marijuana measures.””
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Comment #22 posted by Had Enough on November 11, 2012 at 21:08:59 PT
The truth is setting us free...and lovin' it
"First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win." - Mahatma Gandhi************Woody Guthrie -This Land Is Your Landhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaI5IRuS2aE***Neil Young versionhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy-aGEqGwtI&feature=fvwrel
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Comment #21 posted by runruff on November 11, 2012 at 19:19:29 PT
A miracle!
This web site is a miracle.There is no other place where I have ever seen as many intelligent and enlightened people.everyone is so uniquely individual yet congenial towards our differences. I must cause a few eyes to roll now and then or even inspire a low groan now and then, but here at C/news I feel an acceptance like when you belong to a family. It is all OK.Thanks to Kapt for his honorable mention of me in his line-up of deserving greats. I too am a big fan of all who come here to share and interact. Like Kapt pointed out, who could be more deserving of honorable mention than FoM and Stick? Steadfastness is a quality that is essential in any movement as our to gatekeepers, here, have shown us. The genie is out of the bottle and will not be returned. From now on, up down, thick or thin this hemp-train is on track and moving forward!
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Comment #20 posted by Hope on November 11, 2012 at 18:17:24 PT
Betty, Brian, and Mason.
Colorado marijuana activists buttoned down to win legalization measurehttp://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/ci_21974678/colorado-marijuana-activists-buttoned-down-win-legalization-measure
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on November 11, 2012 at 18:12:01 PT
Heroes in this fight...
Mason Tvert. Oh wow. That Mason Tvert! A powerful force. A powerful man.And all the voters in Colorado and Washington. Brave, bold, and true sons and daughters of liberty... real Patriots in the tradition of the free American.Whoo hoo! Walking among heroes. I love it!
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Comment #17 posted by Hope on November 11, 2012 at 16:44:24 PT
And all the Veterans of this country's military..
Thank you for your service... and I hope you all had a good day!
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Comment #16 posted by Hope on November 11, 2012 at 16:31:48 PT
And you, Afterburner.
You of course, are one of my heroes! You are the meaning of perseverance, steadfastness, and patience!Thank you!
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on November 11, 2012 at 14:50:26 PT
afterburner
I agree. Peter McWilliams and Jack Herer come to mind right away. So many others.
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Comment #14 posted by afterburner on November 11, 2012 at 13:22:51 PT
Today Is Remembrance Day in Canada
We are remembering all the heroes that fought for our freedom in wars around the world. What better day to remember the heroes of the War on Cannabis, the fallen and the fighting activists: thank you all and hooray!
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Comment #13 posted by Hope on November 11, 2012 at 12:52:26 PT
Heroes in this fight...
There are so many. I'm thankful for all of them. I learned a lot from you, Kaptin. I appreciate that. Like I told that officer in Memphis that time trying to get that dog to jump on my car... Drugs will be made legal. It will be from kitchen tables and living rooms all over this country. People talking, until they've said and heard the truth enough to do something about it.And that's what happened. Of course computers were a big part of that. We learned the facts. We learned we weren't alone. We learned there were others that felt the way we did about the horror and injustice of it all. We learned what to say. We wrote so many letters... thank you Stan, The Man, White... and we talked to everyone we could. We made talking about it easy. And it wasn't before. Believe me. NO ONE talked about it. We talked. We talked in public forums. We talked without ceasing. Until we were heard.We learned what was really going on. We spread the word and the word of truth undermined the walls of lies. C-News was like a university in the early years. We learned what the truth was and we learned how to say it... effectively. Chihuahuas. Pit Bulls. Carving knives. Ants and rubber tree plants. Monsters, multi-headed beasts, cruel judges, false powers, and untouchable juggernauts can be brought down by regular little people. Like us. Like all of us. And the hard workers like FoM, and Richard Lake, and Jo-D and Paul, Sam, and Ethan and Observer, Pete, you, Allan, HerbDoc, Dr. Russo, BGreen, DankHank, Marc Emery... and so many, many, many more. I'm so glad to have been drawn to all these people. We did it. From those that didn't get to live to see this victory, to the last ones into the ranks. It's been amazing. Millions of us did it and our ranks will continue to grow!
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on November 11, 2012 at 12:40:29 PT
The Journey
This has been an amazing journey for all of us. I had no idea what CNews was going to be when I started in late 1998. I hoped that after one or two years some order would fall together and that we would hash out different points of view and that's about all. I never thought we'd be here today. As years went by I started thinking we might just make it if we keep pushing on which we did. Thanks to everyone who has helped move us to this wonderful point of no return.
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Comment #11 posted by BGreen on November 11, 2012 at 11:10:12 PT
Thanks, kaptinemo
Alone we're some pretty cool people but as a group we're freakin' awesome! I'm extremely honored to be a part of the CNews family.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #10 posted by kaptinemo on November 11, 2012 at 10:39:28 PT:
I don't deserve any praise
I had to be kicked in $$ to do the right thing; plenty more have done it from the get-go. All I have ever done is to help throw the lie of the inarticulate, unintelligible 'stoner' back in the prohibs' arrogant, smug faces. And help to give a voice to those who've not had the chance. Only History will tell if it made a difference. I was referring to people like FoM and Stick, who's stood at the ramparts for year after year, for that decade and a half, managing this site alone. People like Runruff, Sam Adamas, The Rev B Green, GCW and so many others who've felt more than the brief lashing I had from the Beast, and paid even greater prices for their convictions. And Deity knows how many others I wish I could name, a Constellation of Honor, so to speak. Like Sir Isaac said, if I see so far, it's because I've stood on the shoulders of some true 'giants'. Not physical giants, but intellectual and moral ones. Like my old Patrol SAR squadron, they're everyday, ordinary, non-hero-looking people doing heroic things, quietly, quietly, no fanfare at all...but what they did counted. Because they believed it was worth doing.And that's why we're winning. Because in the end the (largely mercenary) opposition is fighting an idea, and that idea has to do with TRUE freedom. As a line from a favorite movie went, "Ideas are bulletproof". And nothing, but nothing can stop an idea whose time has come.
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Comment #9 posted by Hope on November 11, 2012 at 09:50:58 PT
Comment 7 Kaptinemo
Well said. Very well said.Your ability to cut with the truth to the core of the matter... swiftly and completely has been a powerful sword and guidance in this struggle.The truth is a powerful, swift, and sharp sword and a literal, literary electric "turkey" carving knife powered by truth, fierce determination, and knowledge is something a prohibitionist has surely learned, is not something to be taken lightly.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on November 11, 2012 at 07:21:52 PT
kaptinemo
You're the best.
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Comment #7 posted by kaptinemo on November 11, 2012 at 05:47:24 PT:
Sam Adams, we 'called' it, right here
The money. The money. The money, the money, themoney, themoneythemoneythemoney...For nearly a decade and a half, since 1999, we knew the country could not afford the madness of drug prohibition. Not anymore. We supposedly mush-brained, addled 'stoners'...saw what few others could. And warned a country that ignored us.That is, until the fiscal brown smelly stuff of our hyperventilating economy struck the air circulator...as we said it would. Here. Right here, at CNEWS. And we said it would be the start of the disassembling of the DrugWar, beginning with its' main target, cannabis.We are no longer the voices in the wilderness. More and more, the MSM, which has derided us for so long, is now realizing how vast a political bloc we represent. One that has had more than enough motivation to become a 'game changer'. And we have.I once described us as a 'sleeping giant'. Well, the giant has awakened, and has flexed its' muscles, and has only begun to rise up. And those who kicked that giant for so long? Those who've caused us so much harm in the past, thinking that giant would never awaken? They've made the same mistake every arrogant, authoritarian regime in the past has done. And I predict that they will continue to become ever more strident and shrill...as they retreat further and further into the irrelevance and ignominy that they so richly deserve: a footnote in a history book.But this is not to say we can afford to be complacent. My generation made that mistake, and we paid for it with 3 decades of misery. The Beast is still at large, and it still has claws and fangs. No one is safe until it's put down. We must drive on, must persevere, just as many of us have done, through all the dark years, often just barely keeping the spark of hope alive. For that is what has brought us to the threshold of victory."“If I have been able to see further, it was only because I stood on the shoulders of giants.” - Issac Newton.We have stood on the shoulders of giants long forgotten. Rufus King. Dr. Woodward. So many, long gone, and so many in our lifetime, too many to name, who've 'kept the faith' in TRUE freedom, not the faux cheap, plastic version we've been proffered. To honor their memories, known and so many unknown, and for our own posterity, we must drive on until the end. For our choices are stark: so much of the loss of our freedoms and liberties are directly attributable to the DrugWar. To allow it to continue is to ensure future total corp-rat serfdom. To end it is to regain lost freedoms. It can't be any plainer than that.
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Comment #6 posted by johnobonno on November 10, 2012 at 14:46:51 PT:
Time for the States to stand with their own people
The people of those two states should remind their representatives of their responsibilities under the 10th amendment to protect them from Federal prosecution. Since the State has voted to set themselves free, it must also follow that they will protect one another from predators who stalk them from behind the tree of liberty.
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Comment #5 posted by Rainbow on November 10, 2012 at 09:55:33 PT
Wellstone
The good senator said it had to come from the grass roots not the Feds, they are worthless.I wAs disappointed but he was right. And now we will have some meaningful change.
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Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on November 10, 2012 at 08:19:58 PT
house of cards crumbling
Kapt. I think you're on to something - look at this:>>>A spokesman for Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said during Friday's talks, state officials asked Holder for the federal government's response to the marijuana vote but didn't get one.Looks to me like the feds are in retreat. They didn't expect one state to pass, let alone two. We now have 3 states where it's essentially impossible to get arrested for marijuana use and consumption.When decrim passed here in 2008 there was never much of any response from the state govt. More like a deafening silence, and no attempt to change the referendum, which they could have done the day after the election if they wanted.I made the same conclusion - the politicians are sick of this BS, and used the referendum to tell the law enforcement industry "there's nothing we can do".It's getting harder by the day to keep up. Now the Mexicans and Latin Americans are pissed, the medical MJ states are even more pissed than before. Already the feds were bickering with Oakland over $1 million plus in tax revenue, now they have to take on Colorado and Washington too.And the timing could NOT be better! In a few months, all federal bureaucracies are looking at decreasing revenue for the first time in 20 years.
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Comment #3 posted by HempWorld on November 10, 2012 at 07:20:09 PT
The Time Has Come To Legalize Marijuana!
The Time Has Come To Legalize Marijuana All Over The World. God Bless!Back By Popular Vote!The American public has spoken: It's not about whether marijuana is good or bad. It's about whether prohibition of something, say alcohol or marijuana, or other, is good policy. And that, we can now say, is a horrible racial divide and a societal devastation. See alcohol prohibition from the 20's. But that one, at least, was not as damaging to minorities then, but it certainly was for society as a whole.
Ganja Plantation!
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Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on November 10, 2012 at 03:25:58 PT:
The States have forced the Fed's hands
The impasse that has existed for decades has finally been broken in a manner that gives the Feds a way to retreat from cannabis prohibition and save face.Just about every pol in America, with the exception of the most rock-headed right-winger, will admit privately that cannabis prohibition is pointless, or worse. But they wouldn't say so publicly for fear of the small but powerful minority of those who make their bread-and-butter off of prohibition.Well, they don't have to say anything. The People already have, in two States, and more will follow. By leaving it to the States, the pols can say they must bow to the will of said People. Which will help to expose the crazy prohibs more and more to a public that heretofore has assumed that drug policy was arrived at rationally - instead of being the product of racial bigotry, pseudoscience and good ol' corruption between Feds and corporations. Because, with the pols raising their hands and saying they can do nothing, it increasingly isolates those bloodsuckers who want prohibition to continue, and draws them into the spotlight, where their craziness and their rankling, high-handed, insufferable authoritarianism will be rubbed in the public's face. The public will get a good, hard look at the type of people they have been paying the salaries of, and they will not be pleased to realize how much of their hard-earned money has been p*ssed away by this modern day version of the Nazi Ahnenerbe.The prohibs have a choice: admit defeat and quietly leave the stage...or risk being pelted by much worse than rotten tomatoes. Their choice...but before too long, even that choice will be taken from them if they continue their intransigence.
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Comment #1 posted by John Tyler on November 09, 2012 at 20:44:12 PT
pursue a reasonable policy
The Obama administration has to be careful how they handle this situation. The voters voted for him and cannabis freedom. In a Rolling Stone article he said he wasn’t able to do anything about legalization at that time (his first term), but in his second term he hinted at a more reasonable policy. Now is the time to pursue a reasonable policy.
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